Minutes 01-29-57~hWJTES OF A SPECIAL ~TING OF TEE COUNCIL~0~ OF BOYi~TON
B~CH ~%~ITH k~B~ OF THE COb~P2Y SCHOOL BOARD, B~D~ AT THE
CiTY HALL, BOYA~ON Bw, ACH, FLOP~DA, JAIQUARY 29, 1957.
PHESF~:
~ayor Mort Partin
Vice ~yor Donald Rehhurg
~ir. Stanley Weaver
~Tr. LoS. Chadwe!l
~Ir. Harvey Oyer.
City Clerk Dorothy V.V~illi~ms.
~iember~ of Oou-uty School Board:
~r. Jack Homer
!~r. Ralph Settler
Er. Howell Watkins (S~~erin-
~enden~ )
Mrs. E!izabe~h Hand.
The ~.~yor called the meetir~g to order ~t 8.00 P.~T.
~r. Watkins, County Superintendent of Schools, ,said the Co~nty
School Board wish to inqui~ into the possibility of their acquiring
ten of the tv~nty acres owned by the ~ity of Boynton Beach on the
No:~th std~of Second Avenue for the ~urpose of buildir~g a much needed
Junior H~School. He said 3~r. Kettler ~ud ~groHorner have seen
the prope~ and they and Ers.Hand consider it most auitable.
The site w~s ex,ned on the m~p by the School Board members.
They eslimated ~n enrollment of about 900 $~udents in the first
grades, between 8Oand t00 probably to be enrolled this year more than
las~ year. They think the ?$h~ 8th and 95h gradez should be brought
from Seacrest, leaving Seacres~ a three-year H~gh School. The
Elementary a~l Junior High to~ ~e loaated in this toga. They are
-~rying to get them in the cen~er of town, or, rather near the center.
~s Hand said the theory is that the ELementary Schools should
be considered as neighbo~ood schools, b~t Junior High School students
are able to go far~her from home,- e~e~n as far as ten miles if necess~j.
~r. ~eaver said the City has ~ery little land left and is there-
fore retuct~ut to turn loose a-~y~hing it ~t~i!l~s, He said ~he
City Council have obligated themselves to provide m Little Lea~e
b~sehall field and h~ve already spent considerable mo~ey in prep~rir~
it, which they do not v~ish to lose. He thought the southern part
the most suitable for this°
~r. 0yer tho-~ht probably the best u, se to ~ich the land could
be put was as a site for z Ju_~ior High school, and the thing to be
decided is not ~hether the City c~n get a sum of money f_~r it, but
a suitable piece ef lar~t to replace it.
~r. Keppler thought if ten acres could now be acquired for a
J~nior High school, which is the immediate need, ~later on a High
School c~ut~i be erected on the remainder of the lar~i, and the athletic
-2-
f~citities of the schools could be ~e~ by the City for ~thletics of
mll kinds.
He s~ggested asking the County to un-dedicate the land and re-
dedicate it te the School Board in sw~ppin~for other la~d.
If the J~mior High is lout on the ~eet side of the land instead
of on the South there would be room f?r.laterdevelopment for a
High. Otherwise, the Senior H!gh, when later need
Senior
for
it
arises, ~ould have to be put in another p~rt of the tommy.
htr. ~ettler thought the co ~mmunity would get more out of She land
if a Junior High is lr~ilt as ~he chi!drem eau ~ys ~se the ~
~ ~i~, when a Se~er Ei~ is b~tt.
~r. ~?atkias suggested the NorSh end for the Little Leagme and
~he south for the Junior High.
~Ir. Ee~ler remarked the land was wit~hin t~vo blocks of colored
town, ~hich might be considered detrimenSal.
~r. Par~n asked mf the School Board wouzd be lnte~sted zn a tr~t
North of %he c~aa2, ~ichwould be close to I~zuta~a aadEypoluxe. Not
in the Center of the to~ but in the center of the district.
~r. V~atkins said the scheolJvould not be ready for another year.
~r. Partin said he was noZ in favor of disposing of the land before
receiving somethir~ in return to compensate the City, which cantor give
it to them.
~M~r. Oyer exDressed_ himself in favor of the school if the ~d~Jnt~yLi!witl
give the City &n eq~! amount of land somewhere else, equally as good.
He strongly urged fi~ing~p Pence Park for ~ittte League baseball
Doses.
Ers. Hand said the City would be getting quite a lot in getting
the J~nior ~__gh School.
~r. Keppler said at such time as they are read~~ to start constrr~-
tion they could legally pay for the improvements the City has made and
put them in another part of ~he proper~y.
~r. Watkins said if a piece of property which would be suitable
could be fou~ud elsewhere for City purposes, it could be bought. The
City ~ould give a Deed to the School Board, and the Board would pay
the City the price of the land.
~rs. H~nd said: "The main t~hir~ ~itk you people is to get that
~tttle League field this Spring."
~r. ~?atkin~said he felt that if the City would give the Board the
!ar~, by the tim~ the Junior High is ready to be started something
could be worked out. He ~s hopir~o~the J~or Hi~kwould be ready by
September, 19B8.
~r. Chadw~ll said he ~s all for the school as long as the City
got a piece of land in return which will be eqUivalent To that they
relinguish.
~r. Kettler's idea w~s that the City could go ahead with their
planS for ~he Little League baseball field, arid when the Board begin
to build the Junior High ~hey could move the City's plans to another
pmrt of the field.
After further discussion along the sa~e lines as the above, the
members of the School Board thanked the Councillors for the opportun-
ity of talking over their proposal, an'd withdrew.
~r. Rehburg said he was Tez~y anxious to know v~_ers the Little
Le~e field v~s to be placed so tha~ the number of lights that v~ll
be needed can be kno~ exactly.
~'~r. Chadwell moved that ~he 8curb-East corner of the land be
developed a~ a Little Le~e baseball field. ~r. Eehburg seconded.
~r. Oyer voted ~0~ L~otion carried.
There being no further business the meetin~ was adjourned.
-~yo r
C~tY b~i e r~. ' '